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(No Model.)

0. W. GREEN.

FOLDING BED.

No. 351,320. Patented Oct. 19, 1 886.

MIX WNMXXXX WITNESSES.

Wm BM.

ATTORNEY.

' UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES W. GREEN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, 'ASSIGNOR TO LOUISA E. GREEN,

OF SAME PLACE.

FOLDING BED.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 351,320, dated October 19, 1886.

Application filed February 26, 1886. Serial No. 193,314. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES XV. GREEN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Chicago, county of Cook, and State of Illinois, have invented new and useful Improvements in Folding Beds, of which the following is a specification, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings, illustrating the invention, in which Figure I is a plan or top View of a folding bed embodying my invention; Fig. II, an en larged end elevation of Fig. I. Fig. III represents the bed as folded; Fig. IV, a broken sectional longitudinal elevation of the bed. Fig. V represents the end posts removed from the other posts.

This invention relates to means for converting an ordinary woven-wire mattress into a folding bed.

The invention, inbrief, consists in pivoted cross-legs, whose lower ends are spread apart to give proper support to the mattress, and shut together and the mattress swung vertically between the two set of legs when the bed is folded, suitable mechanism being employed to serve as a side and end inclosure for the bedding, and also for manipulating the parts and supporting them both in bed form and folded shape, as the same is hereinafter fully described and shown.

F G E represent an ordinary wovenwire mattress, which I find to be the best form of bottom now known to put in my folding bed. Surrounding the sideand end pieces, F G, of this mattressframe is attached by screws or otherwise a box-frame, I H, of suitable lumber, for the purpose of inclosing the bedding to be used, the frame for ordinary bedding being about eight inches high above the side rails, F. The bed thus constructed is supported by two sets of adjustable cross-leg supports, A A. That these legs may be properly opened to support the bed-bottom for occupancy and closed for the bottom to be folded, and properly locked into each other, ordinarily to sup port the bottom at a given height, diagonal gains K K (more clearly shown at Fig. V) are formed in the two inner faces of the two pieces A, forming each pair or set of legs, whereby both pieces lie in the same plane, and, when open, to-support the bed-bottom, the edges of the pieces A A, respectively, bear against the shoulders c c of the other piece, and in so doing occupy theposition shown at Figs. I and II.

It will be seen that the gainsK are quite inclinedthat is, the cross-legs may be shut together, as shown at Fig. III. The mattress is supported on the cross-legs A A by means of headed bolts D L, which lie under the end rails, G, and are secured in those positions by ordinary staples, M M, put over the shanks of the bolt and driven into the under side of the rails. The heads L of the bolts bear against the inner edges of the rails, so that the nuts 0 may be sufficiently turned up to hold the parts together. This mode of fastening becomes necessary, because the end rails cannot safely be weakened by bolt-holes made through them. The bolts pass through holes b bin the legs and also through a suspended support, B, at each end of the bed. When the bed has unusual weight placed thereon, the supports B will be brought to the floor, and thus relieve the legs A A from such excessive strain as they otherwise would be subjected to. From this it will be seen that the two sets of legs have no central connection, except by means of the mattress-frame and bolts D L, and no other connection, except by the support J, low down on the legs. There is left an unobstructed space between the sets of legs for the mattressframe to be turned to a horizontal position or a vertical position, as required.

To make the mattress rigid with the legs when the bed is in position for use, hooks NV are employed, one at each end of the bed, and pivoted to one of the leg-pieces A at f, and made to engage a catch or pin, 9, on the end of the mattress-frame. Without these hooks or other suitable connections the bed cannot be used. To hold the legsin a folded form, a latch, N, is pivoted to each set of legs at P, and is made to engage a catch-pin, O, in the opposite leg, as more clearly shown at Fig. III. I find it better to slot the upper ends of the legs and insert the latches N in the slots than to attach the latches to the sides of the legs. The bed is to be folded by grasping it by the hand at E. This will bring the legs together, after which the catch W is to be detached from pin 9 and the latch N connected with the pin 0, as shown, andthe bed will then occupy the position shown at Fig. III. A curtain, S, can then be hung to the upper side rail, F, to conoeal the bed-frame, and it can be extended around the ends to cover all the structure in substantially the same inanner as is the custom now on other folding beds.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desireto secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In folding beds, the two sets of cross-legs A A A A, pivoted centrally together and to the middle portions of the ends G of the mattress-frame by a single bolt, D L, at each end, constructed and attached as specified, in combination with a mattress-frame hungto swing toa vertical position between thelegs and held I in that position with the legs by means of the latch N, and the catch or hook W to hold the mattress-frame in a horizontal position, as specified.

2. The two sets of cross-legs A A A A, piv- CHARLES W. GREEN.

Witnesses:-

G. L. CHAPIN, WILL H. MOORE. 

